The Best Albums of 1967

Folk rock reached its peak of commercial popularity in the period 1967–68, before many acts moved off in a variety of directions, including Dylan and the Byrds, who began to develop country rock. The release of The Velvet Underground & Nico in 1967, featuring singer-songwriter Lou Reed and German singer and collaborator Nico was described as “most prophetic rock album ever made” by Rolling Stone in 2003. Aretha Franklin’s 1967 recordings, such as “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)”, “Respect” (originally sung by Otis Redding), and “Do Right Woman-Do Right Man”, are considered the apogee of the soul genre, and were among its most commercially successful productions. Here are all of the 1967 albums ranked.

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10. Strange Days (The Doors)

“In late 1967, as Summer’s light faded, The Doors released “Strange Days”, one of my 2 favorite Doors albums. Good title, because the Eden of that Summer was mutating into something quite different. Liberation had taken a dark, even morbid, turn. To show us the way, The Doors gave us this sophisticated strobe light of dimmed hues. You could see, but not too clearly, and the truth is that you probably wouldn’t want to…”

9. Axis: Bold As Love (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)

“The preeminent instrumentalist of the rock era. There would be faster players, more precise players, But none have eclipsed the supernova that was Jimi Hendrix in innovation in rock music in general and the expansion of the electric guitar vocabulary in particular. He is second only to the Beatles in spurring the evolution of rock music.”

. 8. The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (Pink Floyd)

“The seminal debut album from Pink Floyd does not disappoint. As a long-time fan of PF, I’ve generally gravitated toward later works like Dark Side of the Moon, Mettle, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, The Division Bell, etc. Going back to the start has added a glorious new dimension to my appreciation of PF from Barrett, Waters, Mason, and Wright through Gilmour’s addition and post-Floyd works from GIlmour.”

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7. Songs Of Leonard Cohen (Leonard Cohen)

“I think that it is a “love at first listen” affair. Haunting, melancholic, yet still full of hope. Every song reminds me of a love past or current; painful and pleasant. The themes are timeless as are the images his voice conveys. I can listen to it for hours and still find new feelings and truths that I has not realized before. All of us deserve a Suzanne (male or female) in our lives.”

6. Magical Mystery Tour (The Beatles)

“This is another stunning piece of perfection by the Fab Four. Every one of the tracks on this CD are absolute “classics.” I’ve yet to find any Beatles song that didn’t set the high water mark that everyone else has to try to reach. That task is impossible. This band is simply the best musical group of any kind to grace this Earth, IMHO. And they’re not even my number one band. Brilliance such as this only occurs rarely. Lyrically these guys were unmatched. Add the musical element and you have, as I stated, perfection.”

5. Forever Changes (Love)

“A darker take or reflection of the times than what was being made in San Francisco…much like their counterparts the Doors another LA band they represented the dark underbelly of sunny California. The songs have a real east LA flavor due to the acoustic guitars & mariachi horns and the lyrics are cryptic and surreal. Like Jim Morrison, Arthur Lee had a strong death fixation when creating this music!”

4. Are You Experienced (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)

“This is a classic album. It has been a captivating musical experience ever since it first release in 1967. This has made the lists of top 100 albums and most influential debuts time and time again. In 2005, Rolling Stone ranked ‘Are You Experienced’ fifteenth on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Even the Library of Congress, in recognition of the cultural significance of this release, added it to the National Recording Registry, allowing it to live in it’s infamy and glory”

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3. The Doors (The Doors)

“Could be the best album ever made, perfect from start to finish and surprised it’s not rated higher, the Doors were dark brooding and alienated perfectly boosted with a touch of ‘Howlin wolf and Brecht means this masterpiece is full of undiluted tension.”

2. The Velvet Underground & Nico (The Velvet Underground & Nico)

“Lyrically the self titled album features many of the same decadent, grotesque, and philosophical themes the band was known for and more. Moments like I’m Beginning to See the Light and Jesus are surprising spiritually themed songs for a band that had written songs like Heroin and Sister Ray. Although the band shows more restraint and subtlety than on their previous works the avant-garde element is still present.”

1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)

“This album combines rock and roll with English music hall culture, the circus and military tattoos from bygone days that all the Beatles grew up on. It is a mirror into the past and what life used to be in Britain. Its arrival in 1967 was heralded by Rubber Soul and Revolver that are great albums in themselves. They released the magnificent single ‘Strawberry Fields / Penny Lane while they were recording Sgt. Pepper and this single shows the energy and integrity that was happening to the Beatles at that time.”